Change We Can Believe In: The Presidency of Barack Obama

[hcallega]

August 2009

August 3rd: The President meets with Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Emir of Kuwait, in the Oval Office.

August 4th: President Barack Obama celebrates his forty-eighth birthday at the White House. Obama also meets with National Commander of the American Legion Dave Rehbein and Executive Director Peter Gaytan.

August 5th: Obama visits Elkhart, Indiana for the second time in his presidency to hold a townhall meeting about unemployment in the work force and new jobs being created.

August 6th: Obama delivers brief remarks about the confirmation of soon-to-be Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan, and expresses gratitude to the Senators who confirmed her.

August 7th: The President gives a statement in the Rose Garden in regards to the release of the Bureau of Labor Statistics' unemployment figures for the month of July. Unemployment has remained above 9%, though the economy as a whole has shown positive signs of recovery.

August 8th:  President Barack Obama travels to Mexico for the two-day North American Leaders' Summit with the leaders of Mexico and Canada.

August 10th: President Obama meets in Guadalajara, Mexico with President Felipe Calderón of Mexico and Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada for a trilateral meeting to discuss the global economy, climate change, security and safety, as well as the H1N1 pandemic.

August 11th: Obama holds a townhall meeting in Portsmouth, New Hampshire to answer concerns about financial reform.

August 12th: The President holds a welcoming ceremony for newly appointed Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor in the East Room of the White House. Obama also awards the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 16 recipients, including Nancy Brinker, Pedro José Greer, Stephen Hawking, Ted Kennedy, Billie Jean King, Joseph Lowery, Joseph Medicine Crow, Sandra Day O'Connor, Sidney Poitier, Chita Rivera, Mary Robinson, Janet Rowley, Desmond Tutu, and Muhammad Yunus. Jack Kemp and Harvey Milk were also posthumously awarded the Medal of Freedom.

August 14th:  President Obama holds a townhall meeting, in Belgrade, Montana, to discuss financial regulatory reform, and the financial reform bill in Congress.

August 15th: President Barack Obama holds another townhall meeting, in Grand Junction, Colorado, to continue his emphasis on financial reform.

August 16th: Obama visits the Grand Canyon in Arizona with First Lady Michelle Obama, and daughters Malia and Sasha Obama.

August 17th: Obama gives a speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Phoenix, Arizona.

August 18th: President Obama, along with Vice President Biden and Secretary of State Clinton, meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in the Oval Office.

August 19th: President Obama hosts NASCAR drivers Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Carl Edwards and others in an event honoring Johnson as the winner of the 2008 Sprint Cup Championship.

August 23rd: President Obama sings the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2009 into law. The legislation included the creation of a Consumer Protection Agency to consolidate regulatory agencies, comprehensive regulation of the financial markets including derivative trading, strengthened investor protection, gave more power to the FDIC and Federal Reserve to "wind-down" bankrupt firms, created measures aimed at increasing international standards and cooperation, and the "Volcker Rule" which prevented banks from making certain kinds of speculative investments if they were not in the best interests of their customers.

August 29th: President Barack Obama gives the eulogy at the funeral service of Senator Edward Moore Kennedy. Former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush (also representing his father, former President George H. W. Bush) attended, along with Vice President Biden, three former Vice Presidents, 58 senators, 21 former senators, many members of the House of Representatives, and several foreign dignitaries.

[hcallega]

September 2009

September 8th: After a week of vacation at the White House, Obama speaks at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia to promote education.

September 9th: President Obama outlines his support for the Employee Free Choice Act in a speech to a joint session of Congress.

September 10th: President Barack Obama meets with Prince General Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi in the Oval Office.

September 11th: President Barack Obama addresses family members and friends who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001, in the September 11 attacks, at The Pentagon. Obama and the First Lady also meet with the Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands in the Yellow Oval Room of the White House.

September 12th: Barack Obama holds a rally in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Target Center to speak in support of the Employee Free Choice Act.

September 14th: President Obama speaks about the financial crisis at Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York City.

September 15th: President Barack Obama visits the General Motors Lordstown Assembly Plant in Warren, Ohio. Obama also addresses the AFL-CIO at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

September 16th: President Barack Obama delivers remarks during a U.S. Olympians youth sporting event on the South Lawn of the White House, to promote Chicago's bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

September 17th: President Obama posthumously awards Sergeant First Class Jared C. Monti the Medal of Honor in the East Room, at the White House. Barack Obama then speaks at the University of Maryland to deliver remarks and hold a healthcare rally. Obama also hosts a screening of The National Parks: America's Best Idea along with Ken Burns, Dayton Duncan and Secretary of Interior Brian Schweitzer.

September 21st: President Obama appears on the Late Show with David Letterman, for his second late night talk show interview since becoming president.

September 22nd: President Barack Obama addresses the Climate Change Summit at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

September 23rd: Obama gives his first speech to the United Nations General Assembly. Obama also speaks as a guest speaker at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City.

September 24th: n a first for an American president, Obama chairs a U.N. Security Council summit dedicated to nuclear disarmament and proliferation.

September 25th: While at the G-20 Pittsburgh summit, Obama and the leaders of France and the UK make a public statement accusing Iran of constructing a secret nuclear facility near Qom.

September 29th: President Obama meets with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen in the Oval Office for an expanded delegation meeting.

September 30th:  Obama tours the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, along with NIH Director Francis Collins and Secretary of Health and Human Services Rosa DeLauro.

[hcallega]

October 2009

October 1st: President Barack Obama gives a statement on the Iranian nuclear program, in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House.

October 2nd: President and First Lady Obama, along with Oprah Winfrey, travel to Copenhagen, Denmark, to give a speech to the International Olympic Committee in a failed attempt to bring the 2016 Summer Olympics to Chicago.

October 3rd: The President and First Lady celebrate their 17th wedding anniversary at the Blue Duck Tavern in Washington, D.C. before heading back to the White House.

October 5th: President Obama gives a speech to doctors about the Employee Free Choice Act on the Rose Garden of the White House. Obama also participates in a CEQ Executive Order signing in the Oval Office.

October 6th: Obama meets with the National Counter Terrorism Center leadership and analysts during a visit to the NCTC in McLean, Virginia.

October 7th: The President presents 2008 Medals of Science and Medals of Technology and Innovation during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House. Obama also hosts an Astronomy Night on the South Lawn, with Sally Ride.

October 9th: The 2009 Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to President Barack Obama "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples".

October 10th: President Obama speaks at the Human Rights Campaign's 13th annual national dinner, to address civil rights and equality, along with gay marriage and "Don't ask, don't tell."

October 13th: Obama gives a statement thanking thirteen Democratic Senators on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee for approving the Employee Free Choice Act. Obama then meets with Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero of Spain. President Obama also hosts a "Fiesta Latina" event at the White House, and welcomes performers Marc Anthony, Gloria Estefan, Tito el Bambino, Jimmy Smits, Eva Longoria and George Lopez.

October 14th: President Obama nominates Sharon Lubinski of the Minneapolis Police Department to be the first openly homosexual person to serve as a Marshal in the United States Marshals Service. Obama also speaks at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Washington, D.C., about Ted Kennedy and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate.

October 15th: Obama travels to New Orleans, Louisiana, to visit areas still recovering from Hurricane Katrina. Obama then travels to San Francisco, California to speak to the Democratic National Committee, alongside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

October 16th: Obama speaks to a forum at Texas A&M University, alongside former President George H. W. Bush, in College Station, Texas, to promote public service.

October 19th: President Obama visits Viers Mill Elementary School in Silver Spring, Maryland to speak to children about reading.

October 20th: President Barack Obama meets with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in the Oval Office.

October 21st: Obama meets with Senator John Kerry in the Oval Office to discuss the war in Afghanistan.

October 22nd: President Barack Obama signs the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act in the East Room of the White House.

October 23rd: President Obama declares a national emergency, in response to the H1N1 epidemic, in the United States.

October 26th: President Barack Obama gives a speech to servicemen and women at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, in Jacksonville, Florida.

October 27th: Obama speaks and tours the DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center in Arcadia, Florida.

October 28th: President Obama signs the Matthew Shepard Act in the East Room of the White House, expanding hate-crime law to include gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.

October 29th: President Obama travels to Dover Air Force Base to oversee the return of eighteen American soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

October 30th: President Obama signs an executive order, lifting a 22-year old immigration and travel ban on citizens of the United States with HIV.

October 31st: The First Family hosts a Halloween party at the White House, and welcome more than two thousand children.

[MRX]

I'm hoping Obama does something regarding Citizens United ITTL. I'm also curious about what the 2010 elections will be like.

[Bo]

I like it, please continue

[BOSSFAN]

How much longer will it be until the update that covers the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010?

Ditto, what happened hcallega?

[AFairFuture]

I have been following this timeline since its inception. I am enjoying it quite a lot, seeing Obama make policy decisions that are different (And in some cases better) than what he did in reality. I've just registered on the forum, and I would like to congratulate you for doing a good job on this TL. I look forward to reading future posts soon. Keep up the good work.

[JulioMadrid]

I have been following this timeline since its inception. I am enjoying it quite a lot, seeing Obama make policy decisions that are different (And in some cases better) than what he did in reality. I've just registered on the forum, and I would like to congratulate you for doing a good job on this TL. I look forward to reading future posts soon. Keep up the good work.

welcomeeee!

[MRX]

We haven't had an update in almost 2 weeks. Hope hcallega hasn't forgotten about this poll! In the meantime, I would like to post some ideas on what might happen in 2010, if hcallega is okay with that:

January 19th::  A special election is held in Massachusetts to elect a new Senator to take the vacant seat held by the late Ted Kennedy. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick (D) defeats State Senator Scott Brown (R).

March 21st:: The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) is passed and signed into law by President Obama.

Hcallega is welcome to use them if he wishes. Hope he isn't offended.

[hcallega]

Hey guys. I'm going to take a very brief break from updating this TL to focus on the beginning of my new TL (coming very shortly). I will be back.

[MRX]

Okay. Come back soon.

[AFairFuture]

I see you've started up Camelot Forever hcallega. After making another post on that, will you turn your attention back here and make an update? Would love to see how things turn out differently than IOTL, especially with this debt crisis causing more concern and agony every day. We could use something hopeful right now.

[MRX]

Have to bump this forum so people still take notice of it. Hope you're not mad hcallega.

[hcallega]

Have to bump this forum so people still take notice of it. Hope you're not mad hcallega.

I see you've started up Camelot Forever hcallega. After making another post on that, will you turn your attention back here and make an update? Would love to see how things turn out differently than IOTL, especially with this debt crisis causing more concern and agony every day. We could use something hopeful right now.

I'm also going to reboot this timeline soon. It's gonna be coming at it from an entirely different angle, so watch out! Also I'm not mad MRX. It's nice that someone enjoys my work!

[MRX]

Thank you. Hope nothing happens to Obama in the reboot.

[hcallega]

Thank you. Hope nothing happens to Obama in the reboot.

He turns into Windows Vista

[MRX]

Hey hcallega, I was wondering if u can start up this TL for the rest of 2009 and 2010, and tie it into the Election Night 2010 variant that I have taken over writing. We can do it together. Lemme know.

[BOSSFAN]

Hcallega,

It's been quite a while. Are you thinking about relaunching this TL again, in a format similar to Camelot Forever 2.0? Like Robert J. Sawyer said on the cancellation of Flashforward, there were so many wonderful stories yet to be told. I would like to here those stories.